www.EarlLaPierre.com EARL La Pierre |
| THE CONSUL GENERAL'S DIASPORA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE 2008 AWARDED TO EARL LA PIERRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN CULTURE AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, THROUGH THE PROMOTION OF THE STEEL PAN |
| BIOGRAPHY (Written by a " Designated Author " - updated version courtesy of " NICK ") Formerly of St Clair, Port-of-Spain Trinidad, Earl La Pierre is one of many Trinidadians who have made their mark in their various spheres of the world. While living in Canada he taught steel pan music at the University of Toronto, North York Board of Education and the Toronto Board of Education. Earl was instrumental in getting the Steel pan offered as a credit course in the North Schools. Earl has won ALL Kiwanis Music Festivals in the Steel band category in Secondary, Junior and Primary School from 1979 - 1986. During that time the bands under Earl’s tutelage (most notably those from West View) received 29 wins at Secondary level (with 1 second place in 1983) and 6 wins at the Primary level. In the Jazz and Pan category the West View Steel band received 3 wins from 1984 thru 1986. At West View Earl was instrumental in getting no less than 8 steel bands started; at the Secondary level there was Pangroove, Pantario, the Senior Band, the Junior Band and the Open Band, and at the Primary Level there was Topcliffe, Day Strome, and Firgrove. It was in 1986 when Earl headed to Cayman Islands for the Pirates week Festival, an opportunity to teach pan there arose. He ended up spending 18 years there and loved every moment of it. While there he opened a school called Cayman School for Pan, has a Carnival Steel band named Panoramers and teaches pan at the primary, middle and high schools, as well as Catholic Schools, in Grand Cayman. At this time, as a result of Earl's contributions, all the schools offer steel band as part of their educational program. Earl has won every School Music Festival and every Carnival Pan Competition in Cayman Islands from 1988 - 2006. As steel band teacher, and a performer, La Pierre performs at all the major hotels in the Cayman Islands, but mainly at Treasure Island Resort. He is credited with introducing Trinidad and Tobago's national instrument to this island to the extent where it has become an indelible part of that country's culture. Unfortunately, in 2004 Hurricane Ivan touched down on the island and took away all Earl's possessions and since then he has been residing once again in Toronto. La Pierre has always been active in the Trinidad pan scene. He is a former member of Metronomes where he place 3rd as a soloist in the Trinidad Music Festival. He arranged for Invaders where he place 2nd in bomb competition & place 5th in Panorama Final, he was also a member Starlift Steel Orchestra and for the past 26 years has played as a member of Phase II Pan Groove. In 1999, he arranged the panorama tune for Southern Marines and for the past several years he has been arranging for Harmonites where Earl has also garnered several accolades. In 2002 he placed 1st in the East and 4th in the finals of the Pan in the 21st Century competition. In the Panaorama competition with Earl as their arranger, Harmonites were the People’s Choice in 2006, and received 7th place in 2007 and 10th place in 2008. In the ‘Bomb’ competition, Earl and the Harmonites have also garnered several notable awards. In 2006 they received 2 first, 3 second, and 1 third place. In 2007 they received 1 first, 2 second, and 2 third place; and in 2008 they received 2 first and 1 second place. Earl has distinguished himself as Canada's Top arranger, by being judged the winning of Best Playing Steel band at Toronto's annual Caribana celebrations for the unprecedented 30th time. To put this in perspective, it must be mentioned here that this feat was accomplished during 39-year span from 1969 to 2008 (Toronto Symphony Steel band - 1, Impacts - 3, Harriet Tubman Survivors - 2, Trinidad Average Steel band - 2 and now Afropan – 31 wins out of 39 times with 8 seconds). This is even more remarkable when one considers the time, effort and energy required to maintain the quality of musicianship necessary to win one aware. For this reason, in 2002 at the annual Snowflakes of Steel show, the Pan Arts Network made Earl La Pierre their first ambassador of the Pioneer In Pan Award. |
| Toronto's Band of the Year HISTORY (1971 - 2008) 2008: Salah Steel Pan Academy 2007: Salah Steel Pan Academy 2006: (Tie) Afropan/Pan Fantasy 2005:Pan Fantasy 2004: Afropan 2003: Afropan 2002: Afropan 2001: New Dimension 2000: Silhouettes (2nd Tie: Afropan / J.Ketchum) 1999: Afropan 1998: Afropan 1997: Afropan 1996: Afropan 1995: Afropan 1994: Afropan 1993: Afropan 1992: Afropan / Pan Fantasy (Tie) 1991: Afropan 1990: Pan Fantasy 1989: Afropan 1988: Afropan 1987: Afropan 1986: Afropan 1985: Toronto All Steel Percussion Orchestra 1984: Afropan 1983: Silhouettes 1982: Afropan 1981: Afropan 1980: Afropan 1979: Afropan 1978: Trinbyrds 1977: Afropan 1976: Average Steel Band (Afropan) 1975: Average Steel Band (Afropan) 1974: Harriet Tubman Survivors (Afropan) 1973: Harriet Tubman Survivors (Afropan) 1972: Impacts 1971: Impacts (Competition held at Maple Leaf Gardens.) 1970: Toronto Symphony |
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